Fake Smiles
by Professional Magical Girl
Summary: "Nagisa, meet your new step-brother, Gakushuu Asano."
1. Chapter 1

**This is a request from Shiranai Atsune for a story in which Nagisa and Gakushuu are stepbrothers. Enjoy!**

 **Mandatory disclaimer: I do not own AssClass. If I did Takebayashi's arc would not have been cut from the anime**.

* * *

Nagisa Shiota was a seventh-grader when his parents divorced.

If you were to ask Nagisa, he wouldn't tell you that it was that interesting of a story. Hearing them scream about how much they hated each other was the soundtrack of his childhood. He would sit in his room, praying to the kami that they would stop. Sometimes he could even hear his mother smacking his father, the sound reverberating all across the house. It was a normal occurrence to him.

So Nagisa was actually quite relieved when his parents sat him down one night not too long after the welcoming ceremony to Kunugigaoka Junior High, and told him they couldn't get along and were separating.

Actually, it wasn't quite phrased that way. It was more of his mother saying "Nagisa, your father is a massive asshole, so he's finally getting out of our lives."

It was countered with "You bitch!", and then some plates shattered, and then Nagisa left the house to go sit by the river with his headphones in.

The next few months dragged, he had to sit in court hear more bickering and pettiness. His mother won custody of him, maybe the courts were too scared of her to cross her. Who knows. But whatever the reason, his life with a single parent began unbidden.

It didn't take her long to enter the dating game again. She soon spent every Saturday night out with a new guy. There were three possible outcomes to each night. One, she'd come home bitching and moaning about how the guy was 'a loser' or 'not her type'. Two, she'd hit it off and come home beaming and excited about her next date, only for her new boy toy to break it off withing a few weeks, usually because "You're not what I'm looking for". Hiromi often took this to mean that they didn't want a single mom, which enraged her.

But her newest guy was outcome number three, one Nagisa had never seen before.

He stayed. Week after week, Hiromi would meet him and come home at two a.m. laughing and stumbling in the door. She was absolutely glowing every time she talked about him. "You have to meet him, Nagisa." She said breathlessly. "He'll be a great father to you. Actually, I think he has a _son_ your age." Hiromi said with a bit of disappointment on the word son, as if cursing the fact that she couldn't even have a step-daughter.

This had been going on for months. Nagisa still hadn't met his mother's boyfriend, and was honestly not too thrilled about the idea. He hadn't even heard his name. All he knew was that he was an educator and that his mother was happy with him. Nagisa knew he should be happy for her, but he couldn't summon the feeling. He didn't know what he wanted, but this was not it.

And the other thing was, Nagisa was displeased with the agreement that the court had worked out regarding visitation. His father could only see him every third Sunday. And even that was only in writing, Nagisa's mother would sometimes block him from going out to meet his dad, calling his father to insist that their son was 'sick'.

So Nagisa was, understandably, frustrated with her. One night he dared to defy her and shouted "If this guy's so great how come you won't let me meet him?"

His mother froze. But no violence of any sort followed this time. She simply smiled and said "You know what, you're right.".

So that brought him to tonight. Nagisa was sitting at the dinner table, waiting for his mother's boyfriend to arrive. They would be having dinner together. The smell of udon wafted in from the kitchen in their small apartment. His mother appeared in front of him, wiping the giant spoon on her apron. "By the way," she smiled sadistically. "We're getting married."

Nagisa dropped the chopsticks he'd been absentmindedly playing with.

"Yeah, he proposed last night and I gladly accepted. You'll be surprised when you meet him. He's bringing his son over, so be sure to be nice to your new _brother_."

She disappeared back into the kitchen cheerily, leaving Nagisa to collect his thoughts. It was less than a year since the divorce! She was already shacking up with another guy? And a guy her own son hadn't even met. Nagisa felt ashamed of it, but he put his head down and cried a bit. He was jolted up when there was a knock on the door.

"That must be them." Hiromi got the door and kissed their guest on the cheek. He grinned.

Nagisa could not believe his eyes.

The man is mother was marrying, his new stepfather, was Gakuho Asano, the principal of Kunugigaoka Junior High.

The cute little bluenette was paralyzed with shock and fear. He would be under even more stress to do well in school, on top of his grief over his biological parents' divorce. What if he got dropped into E Class in his third year? He'd never be able to escape the torment. And that also meant...

"Nagisa, meet your new step-brother, Gakushuu Asano."

Yep, _he_ was also in his apartment right now. No. This could not be happening. He was in denial. But deny it as he may, his new step family still stood in front of him, full of fake smiles.

"Hello, Nagisa my boy! I hope we get to know each other very well!" Gakuho beamed. It was so... fake. Nagisa wished he could run away.

Gakushuu took his seat next to Nagisa at the dinner table. The one consolation in all this was that Gakushuu seemed as pouty about the arrangement as he was. The honor student was glaring daggers at his father the whole dinner.

That night was torturous for the both of them. The adults had decided to move Hiromi and Nagisa into the Asanos' large house. Nagisa would keep the surname Shiota (what he really wanted was to go back to his father's name but that clearly wasn't happening so he settled for Shiota) since he wasn't legally Gakuho's son (though Nagisa had a sick suspicion that his mother was trying to get Gakuho to adopt him). The story Nagisa was told was that the former Mrs. Asano ran off with some new guy and they moved to Okinawa four years ago. Gakushuu hadn't seen his mother since. Nagisa felt a pang of sympathy. At least he saw his father, even if it was sparingly.

* * *

The wedding was held on a bright spring day in the middle of Wakaba Park. Nagisa and Gakushuu did not have roles, they just sat quietly in the audience. Gakushuu slapped a gnat and accidentally hit Nagisa. Nagisa, sighing in sad resignation, threw a glance at the Wakaba Park Daycare. It was vacant today, as it was a Sunday. He was told he could bring one friend to the wedding, so he brought Sugino, who sat on the other side of him and patted his head. "It'll be okay, buddy. You can come over anytime you need, okay?"

Hiromi walked down the carpet between the two blocks of seating. She was dressed in a white lace wedding dress, if the pictures were to be believed it was the same one she wore when she married Nagisa's father. Nagisa's grandparents looked on with unreadable expressions. The cherry blossoms were falling and got caught in Nagisa's hair. Soon the bride and groom kissed, and the audience cheered.

Later that night, Nagisa and his mother moved into the Asano's house. It was a large, luxurious place. The walls were covered in expensive-looking paintings of various locations all over Japan. The floors in every room (even the bathroom!) were lined in satin carpets. He wondered where all the Principal's money came from. Did running a prep school really pay this well?

But for how big and fancy this house was... It only had two bedrooms. So Nagisa and Gakushuu were forced to share a room. _This is exactly the thing I feared..._ Thought Nagisa as he crawled onto his top bunk. The space on the floor had been completely claimed by Gakushuu's many possessions. Nagisa kept most of his belongings in a box, and decided that tomorrow he'd find a place to put them.

* * *

There was an unspoken agreement between Nagisa and Gakushuu to prevent anyone at school from finding out about their new living arrangement. Gakushuu left ten minutes before Nagisa and took a completely different route, even going so far as to ride a different line and transfer to the Kunugigaoka-bound one miles away. Nagisa didn't invite anyone to the house- he had a history of never doing that anyway, though it used to be so his friends wouldn't see his parents fight. Gakushuu didn't bring anyone over either, as he was used to spending one hundred percent of his free time studying.

The two boys spent most of their time apart and ignored each other in most instances. They did not make direct eye contact and wore overly fake smiles when it was family dinnertime. This upset the parents greatly.

"Why haven't I seen you two talk to each other once?" Hiromi sat with her legs crossed, waiting on an answer. She did not get one, both boys just sat in silence. Hiromi looked at her husband, who mirrored her anxious face. "Well, you both should. You're brothers now."

* * *

Many days later, Nagisa was able to clear up a spot on the dresser to place some knick knacks, but he was quickly shamed by his new 'brother'.

"Listen. I don't want you here anymore than you want to be here." Gakushuu sat down in his chair, the one he never let Nagisa sit in. "I would have been fine with being raised by a single, albeit psychotic dad. Hell, I could raise myself. That would be ideal." He cracked open War and Peace, the Russian edition. "I hate adults."

Nagisa grabbed his Earth science textbook and crawled up the ladder. "That's... A strong sentiment."

"I really don't think it is. Hate isn't that strong of an emotion."

"What I mean is, we're going to be adults someday. Will you hate yourself then?"

Gakushuu narrowed his eyes at him, staring for a second, then directed his attention back to the book.

* * *

Living with Gakushuu was one thing. But dealing with the duo of Hiromi and Gakuho was what had really concerned Nagisa. And with good reason.

Nagisa saw what the principal's idea of 'parenting' really was. Gakuho did not seem to talk about anything but education. He didn't speak to either boy except to ask "What did you learn today?" or "Have you done your homework?" He would quiz Gakushuu on English and French vocabulary at the dinner table. If Nagisa got anything below a 95 on any test, he would ignore him all day. He never wanted to hear about friends or hobbies or even ambitions if they had nothing to do with being the best.

And Hiromi just fed off of this behavior. She smiled and nodded while the principal went on and on about studying. "He's right, you really should study more sweetie." She pinched Nagisa's cheek. "Can't afford for your grades to drop anymore. Or you won't get into Keisetsu University."

And this marriage showed no sign of ending anytime soon, as Gakushuu had predicted ("I give them two months then they'll start fighting and your birth giver will run off with the next best looking thing that comes along."). The Principal and Hiromi seemed like a match made in Heaven (or maybe Hell). They always seemed like they were in their own little world whenever they were together. They giggled and blushed whenever they held hands. It made their respective children want to throw up.

* * *

The more the petite blue-haired boy lived with the 'genius' known as Gakushuu Asano, the more he seemed... human. When Gakushuu got up every morning, without fail he'd hit his head on the top bunk, earning a loud _ouch!_ Nagisa suppressed a bit of sadistic laughter. Gakushuu often put his shoes on the wrong feet when leaving, and would not realize until they were halfway down the block. And last night, he fell asleep at the bathroom sink while brushing his teeth.

"Shiota?" Gakushuu addressed him one morning over breakfast.

"Yes?"

"You're friends with Akabane, correct?"

"We were. We don't talk much anymore. Why?"

"I heard he wants to challenge me for the spot of valedictorian." Gakushuu reached for the jar of strawberry jam, suddenly avoiding his eyes. "... Do you think that's a possibility? Like, can he actually rival me if he tries?"

Nagisa knew it was best to tell the truth in this situation. "Absolutely." Gakushuu visibly cringed.

* * *

Nagisa finally saw his dad for the first time in almost a year. He practically launched himself into his father's arms. "Daddy!" He didn't even feel embarrassed by his outburst. "I missed you."

Nagisa's father ran his fingers through his son's hair. "I missed you too."

Hiromi walked out of the house to greet her ex-husband. This was progress, at least they were talking without the use of profanity. "Bring him back by nine, he has an exam to study for."

"Okay dear." The father-son pair walked down the street together. "So, there's this new sushi place one town over, wanna go?"

The middle schooler nodded enthusiastically. He had almost accepted the idea of never seeing him at all until he moved out, but a certain someone had a change of heart...

* * *

True to his prediction, Nagisa was dropped into E-as-in-End Class in his third year. When he got that letter, his pigtails drooped and he began the walk of shame home. He could imagine what his classmates were thinking as they saw him. _What a shame, I thought Shiota actually had potential... What's wrong with Shiota, is he actually that much of a loser?_ When he got home, he placed the letter on the kitchen table and stood there as his mom and stepdad read it. They just looked at him with the most disapproving stare he had ever seen anyone wear. There were no raised voices, no lost tempers, no profanity, no physical violence. Being looked at like that was all he needed. The adults did not even have words for him.

After what felt like an eternity of that, Nagisa went up to his/Gakushuu's room and pulled the covers over himself. Fighting back tears, he tried to think of what kind of classmates he might have in E Class. Karma would probably be there after his suspension expired. He had heard that Isogai was in hot water with the disciplinarian for his part time job, maybe he'd be there too. And Sugino had already gotten his letter, he was definitely going to be joining them. And the Terasaka gang...

Nagisa's train of thought derailed when the blankets were pulled off of his head. Who could have bothered to climb the ladder all the way up here?

He was shocked to hear Gakushuu of all people. "Listen, Shiota... Err, Nagisa?"

"Yes?" The bluenette sniffled.

"I just came to say... Don't get too bent out of shape about the E Class thing. I mean... You're now in a position where you can prove the principal wrong, y'know?" It was clear that this whole comforting a sad person thing was not his forte. "If you and the rest of E Class rise up and really go well and surprise everyone... Well, wouldn't that just be the best revenge for how shitty he's treated you at home for the past year?"

Nagisa sat up and for the first time ever, actually _looked_ at his stepbrother. Gakushuu continued.

"You're a very... capable person. And so are a lot of future E Class students. Isogai, and Nakamura, and, as much as I hate to admit it, Akabane. I'm sure you'll all figure something out. Everything will be fine." Even he didn't sound sure of his own words, but nonetheless, Nagisa felt his first genuine smile form since moving into his house.

Maybe he could finally get along with his new brother.


	2. Chapter 2

**Greetings. I'm nursing my fourth cold of the year, so time for another chapter.**

 **Initially this was supposed to be a oneshot, but everyone in the reviews wanted more, plus I realized that story had more potential, so I'm making it multi-chapter. That being said, this will be an update-when-I-can thing.**

* * *

It was the beginning of Nagisa's and Gakushuu's third year at Kunugigaoka Junior High. The cherry blossoms had bloomed early this year, and allergy season was in full swing. Fresh-faced 12 to 15 year-olds walked to the wondrous campus of Kunugigaoka Junior High.

But there were twenty-four exceptions to this.

When that fateful morning came, Nagisa got up early and immediately started on the trek up to the satellite campus on the mountaintop, as did the other twenty-three 'failures'. _E-as-in-End Class, here I come_ , he thought with derision.

While they all walked by, those two goons from D Class jeered.

"Hey E Class losers! Remember the main campus, 'cuz it's the nicest place you're ever gonna have been!"

"Don't get to upset, Tanaka, at least they're quarantined like this!"

Sigh. If only Karma were here he'd punch them. But he'd been suspended for that exact thing.

The short boy kicked a pebble out of the way. He yawned. Nagisa was soon joined by Maehara and Kataoka.

"So you ended up here too." The girl observed.

"Yeah." Nagisa responded.

"Me too." Maehara butted into the conversation. "Focused too much on the ladies." He edged closer to Kataoka and reached an arm over her shoulders. She walked away, and Nagisa noticed that the calm and polite Isogai glared daggers at his best friend. Maehara saw and visibly gulped. Any other day Nagisa would have laughed at the absurdity of _Isogai_ of all people looking at his friend like that, but today was the day of his demise.

Nagisa entered the classroom. Or, what they called a classroom. It was stifling hot in spite of the fact that it was only late March. He observed and took note of his new classmates. The Terasaka gang (predictable). Okajima (these poor girls). Nakamura (oh, this class was gonna be HELL). Hayami and Chiba (not expected, to be honest). Okuda (Nagisa didn't think he ever heard her say one word in all of their first two years). Nagisa ran his fingers through his long blue hair. He just hoped that the new teacher wouldn't mistake him for a girl, like Ono-sensei did. Reluctantly he took his seat, the one that had a nametag with "Shiota Nagisa" on top of it.

Yukimura-sensei, the very young teacher, smiled at them all. "Hello, Class of 2016! Welcome to your third year! I'm Yukimura-sensei, your new teacher..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Gakushuu was giving a speech to the incoming seventh graders. It was scripted, and he didn't even write it himself. His father did. His father was always the charismatic, persuasive one. Gakushuu tried his best to absorb at least some parts of his personality, but he felt like he fell flat in comparison. The only people he could enthrall were his own classmates. Even the election for student body president was rigged by the old man.

"Just be sure you study hard, and don't end up like certain somebodies..."

It brought him no joy. E Class was not here to hear their critics. Gakushuu was just repeating words that he memorized from a paper. They meant nothing to him.

"So it is with pride, and with confidence, that we welcome you all to Kunugigaoka Junior High. Congratulations class of 2018!"

All the peons cheered. Finally, that awful speech was over. He left the podium without haste, dropped the false smile, and made his way to his classroom. He whispered to the classmate next to him.

"Get me coffee. I'm gonna need it." Completely forgetting that there was no place to get coffee on campus.

Meanwhile, Nagisa was actually faring a bit better. Yes, the environment was less than stellar, but he saw that Yukimura-sensei actually cared about her job and put effort into their education. She wasn't like the other teachers he'd had at Kunugigaoka.

"Think of it this way: If you're up here, you don't have to deal with those assholes on the main campus!"

Nagisa cracked a genuine smile, for the first time all day.

* * *

The days passed slowly. Nagisa found himself getting used to making the walk all the way up and down the mountain. He told himself it was good cardio. And Yukimura-sensei's silly shirts at least provided comic relief. Gakushuu and he were making small talk at night while they were lying in their respective beds, waiting for sleep to come.

"Hey Asano-san?" He referred to his stepbrother as Asano-san and his stepfather as Asano-sensei to avoid confusation.

"Yeah?"

"Does it ever feel lonely on top?" Nagisa remembered something that Karma had told him two years ago.

"You mean like valedictorian and class president and all that?"

"Yes."

"Sometimes. I really don't like being in charge of student government. I did it to please my father. Maybe someday I'll drop all this crap and pursue my real dream."

"What would that be?" Nagisa yawned.

"Basketball." Gakushuu sarcastically said as he rolled over and went to sleep.

Little did he, or anyone know, it was the last day the moon as they knew it would be.

* * *

It was the day the moon exploded.

Well, not exploded, per se, but was destroyed. Fragments of it shattered and floated in its orbit. It was now permanently a crescent shape. When the step-brothers got up and walked downstairs in the morning, their jaws dropped.

Gakushuu shot up from his seat. "Th-Th-The moon's..."

" _Ruined!_ " Nagisa finished.

There was spilled coffee all over the counter (courtesy of the parents), that both were cleaning up.

"Shock of a lifetime." Hiromi muttered. "How will this affect the tides?"

"I don't know, but I expect a pop quiz on it today." Gakushuu ran his fingers through his hair, suddenly not caring about the strawberry jam on toast that he was looking forward to.

"No more romantic moonlit walks in the park." It was the first semblance of emotion Nagisa had seen Gakuho express. They still weren't out of their honeymoon stage.

"I heard the moon affects people's emotions. Will people now be... I don't know, more moody?" Nagisa wondered aloud.

Hiromi glared at him, as if he should be ashamed to ask a question at all, then looked back at the TV.

For a change, Nagisa and Gakushuu walked to school together.

"What do you think's gonna happen?" Nagisa stared at a cloud that drifted by, covering the moon.

"I don't know. By the way, how's 3-E?"

"Oh? Actually not that bad." Nagisa was startled by the sudden change in topic. "Our teacher's great, my classmates are pretty easy to get along with. I actually find it a more accepting environment than the main campus ever was."

"Hmm." Gakushuu hummed. "Wish I could say the same about 3-A."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

That was the same exact day, only two weeks into the new school year, Yukimura-sensei disappeared. E Class thought- hoped- it was only a temporary thing, but it went on for a few days. She was replaced with a substitute from the main campus who looked down his nose at them. When they asked where Yukimura-sensei was, all the answers they got were "Health reasons" and "Personal stuff". Nagisa sighed, staring out the window at the new crescent moon. It was back to the old grind, it seemed...

Gakushuu grabbed his head in frustration. This teacher was... kind of an ass. He refused to answer anyone's questions. And he moved too fast. The two-time valedictorian of the class of 2016 (only beat Karma Akabane by one point each time) looked around at his classmates. They were paying attention attentively, but they seemed to be struggling. This year was going to be harder than the previous years. _Well, I'll just catch up at home, hopefully before the principal's dinner quiz..._ Gakushuu scratched his head. But he suspected that wasn't likely.

It indeed wasn't likely, when his father asked him questions about trigonometry that evening, he fell flat and didn't answer a single one correctly.

"I'm so disappointed, Gakushuu." His son knew that that was code for 'stay in your room and study for the rest of the night and I better not catch you downstairs for any reason whatsoever'. The principal then looked at his wife's son, as if pondering whether to start this tradition with him, but then shook his head and continued eating.

* * *

The world did not get used to the crescent moon. The news was all full of 'scientists' explaining that the moon was hit by a massive meteor and was partially shattered. Gakushuu found that a little bit strange (wouldn't the meteor be visible on the videos?), but he chose to believe it, as he had no other explanation. It was all anyone could talk about at school. Civics classes were all about how this would affect world politics, Science classes were about how this would affect the earth's environment, and English classes were just translating American or British newspaper articles on the moon into Japanese. The moon dominated every public or private conversation.

Hiromi spoke to her son for the first time since he dropped into E Class on the day that he came home with his long hair pulled up into two cute little pigtails. He was ginning and touching them, like he couldn't believe he had finally done something with his hair.

She grabbed them and almost tore the hair out of his head. "How could you do something so stupid! You had the most perfect hair! It took your whole life to grow out!" Nagisa removed the hair ties and let his blue locks flow down.

Hiromi's cartoonishly angry expression melted away. "There we go, my baby." She patted his head. "Remember Mommy was supposed to have a girl, but she got you instead."

Gakuho followed his wife's example and acknowledged the boy. "Sorry about the E Class thing, son. But your grades made it necessary. I can't make exceptions just because you are my stepson."

Nagisa didn't even beg forgiveness. He didn't feel sorry, one because he felt he had the right to do as he wanted with his hair, and two because he knew the principal was not the forgiving type. He just headed to his room.

Gakushuu, who was sitting in the living room during the whole ordeal, was frozen in shock. His step-mom treated her own flesh and blood like _that_!? Even Gakushuu's own father allowed him to do as he wanted with his hair. And he certainly never grabbed him or insinuated that he was disappointed with his birth. He was getting even more of an idea of what his father had welcomed into the family.

Gakushuu later entered the room that he shared with Nagisa, and pushed a tray of sushi into his step-brother's hands "Here. Your favorite."

The blue-haired androgynous boy was taken aback by his brother's display of generosity. "Thanks, I don't know what to say..."

"You don't need to say anything." Gakushuu threw some blankets down on the floor and sat on them, like a picnic setup. "So, you did your hair yourself?"

"Nah. A girl did it for me. A new transfer student. She switched into E Class today. I don't think you'd know her, though."

Gakushuu had heard his father ranting the other day about a transfer student he already had to send to E Class. He racked his brain for a name. "Kaede Kayano?"

"Yeah, her." Nagisa joined Gakushuu on the blanket.

"Don't mention her to the principal. He's got it out for her. She broke a particularly expensive belonging of his, in his office. And, well, you don't want to cross the principal." Gakushuu brought out a juice box and starting sipping on it. "I'm sure you understand that much already."

"Not 'your father'? 'The principal'?"

"In case you haven't noticed, he's not exactly the fatherly type."

"I have noticed." Nagisa was already halfway through his roll of sushi. Raw salmon and avocado, yum. It even had ginger and wasabi on the side.

"What about your mother? She isn't winning any Parent of the Year awards either." Gakushuu sat back and leaned on the wall.

'She's... Well, you saw. She has her moments. I recommend just staying out of her way, or you might become her next emotional punching bag."

"That's good advice."

Nagisa, having eaten every last bit of his sushi, bowed. "Gochisousama."

"Did you like it?" The honor student sat up.

"Yes, thank you." Nagisa got up to bring the dishes downstairs.

"That's good. I made it myself."

Nagisa gave him another honest smile. "Thanks... Gakushuu."

* * *

The next day, Gakushuu went to class to find a bunch of students sleeping at their desks and complaining about the English homework, meanwhile Nagisa was greeted with a government agent and a giant yellow Mach 20 superhuman octopus.

The Assassination Classroom had begun.


	3. Chapter 3

Nagisa couldn't process what was happening in front of him.

Who was this bright yellow octopus? Why was he always smiling? How could he talk? And most importantly, why the hell was he teaching them!? Nagisa cast a glance over at his new friend and seatmate, Kaede Kayano, who looked just as shocked and confused as he was.

As if things couldn't get any weirder. The government agent, who looked like he hadn't slept in three years, explained the situation. "Your job before the end of the year, to put it bluntly, is to kill this monster!"

Nagisa rolled his eyes. His situation at home was suddenly the last thing on his mind.

While Nagisa walked home with Kayano and Sugino, he wondered how his stepfather allowed this whole setup. There had to be some kind of catch. Like, was the principal being paid by the government to allow this? Was some sort of blackmail going on? What did the principal plan to do in the event that this new octopus guy turned out to be a great teacher and E class rose up and proved him wrong?

Oh, who is he kidding. That's obviously nothing but a pipe dream.

When Nagisa arrived home, he muttered "Tadaima" and took his shoes off. He intended to go up to his/Gakushuu's room and do his homework, but he was corralled into the kitchen by his stepfather.

"Look, son." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Just… Don't tell your mother about this, okay?"

"Tell her about what?" Nagisa rubbed his eyes, as this was the most tiring day he'd had in months.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." He smiled and patted the teenager's shoulder. "And don't tell your stepbrother either. I'm sure the government guy gave you this spiel already, but _no one_ can know about this. Just imagine their reactions."

Nagisa had no intention of telling either of those two, he had thought of this earlier today. His mother would throw a fit. Probably sue the school and bring media attention. No one else was allowed to hurt Momma's baby. Only she could do that.

Gakushuu, on the other hand… He'd probably find some way to use this against his father. Threaten to go to the press and report his 'academic policies' and the numerous skeletons he definitely had in his closet. Nagisa almost admired how devious his stepbrother was. He could 'accidentally' let his brother in on it and vicariously assert power over his parents. But Nagisa, at the end of the day, didn't want to rock the boat, so he agreed to keep tight-lipped about the arrangement.

As the days went on, what became even more baffling was how this managed to stay a secret. Of course, Nagisa would never say a peep to anyone outside of E Class, and he trusted the rest of them to do the same, but no one on the main campus ever trudged up the mountain, just for shits and giggles? To pull a prank on the poor unsuspecting E Class 'losers'? Nope, apparently not. But if they did, would sensei be able to hide himself with so little warning? Actually, he probably would.

Nagisa leaned forward in his desk, pretending to write the tentacle poem that Koro-sensei had requested. Soon Terasaka's plan would be put into motion, and Nagisa would be a central part of it.

Gulping, the cute little blue-haired boy got out of his seat, and walked towards the octopus sensei.

* * *

Gakushuu was sitting in math class right at that very moment. A test was being distributed, so he knew he should be focusing. He'd studied for four hours last night. But he couldn't relax. He was deeply disturbed by his stepbrother's behavior as of late. He was… strangely jovial about school. That must've made their folks happy (deep down somewhere, if it was true they didn't obviously show it). But he also seemed to be hiding something. It irked Gakushuu. He was supposed to lord over the entire school, yet he didn't even know about the life of on E Class student who _lived_ with him, for goodness sake?

Time was running out on this test. There was one question left. The redhead looked at the clock. 45 seconds left. No way could he solve something like this in that amount of time. So he just scribbled down X = i.

 _Oh well_ , Gakushuu thought with distain. _The principal's gonna kill me when he inevitably looks over my test._

* * *

Well, as one might've guessed, Terasaka's assassination plan didn't go as well as he hoped. But it didn't do quite as badly as it could have, as the moment it occurred the yellow octopus had terrible visions of poor Nagisa's guts splattered across the floor and blood everywhere. Luckily, that didn't happen. Instead the octopus teacher shed his protective skin to shield his precious student. And he was PISSED.

That was the weird thing about this whole situation. He actually seemed really concerned about the wellbeing of his students for a guy who was ready to blow up the world and by extension everyone in it. And he was a really good teacher on top of that…

After shooting around town at Mach 20 (without any of the class even noticing that he was gone), threatening his students' families, and giving Nagisa two bright red circles, the octopus was finally given a name and everyone was sent home. Nagisa breathed deeply before entering the house, remembering the story he fed his family (except for the principal): Mr. Karasuma is his new teacher. He teaches every subject. He's a good teacher, that's why he now does his homework and is happy to go to school. No exciting new projects. Certainly not ones that put the fate of the world in jeopardy. No sir.

* * *

The weekend was now here. Since there was no homework immediately due, Nagisa had gotten up at about 9 am to meet Sugino and Kayano at the local mall.

"Where's Nagisa?" Gakushuu asked when he went downstairs at noon to and bumped into his father.

"Off to see his friends in E Class." His father said with derision, chopping up a radish.

Gakushuu felt a twitch of envy. He wished he had friends who wanted to spend time with him, yet alone the time to spend with them. Wait a minute, he was jealous of an _E Class_ student?

"The only reason your stepmother allowed it is because she was too preoccupied with stuff at work." Moving the sliced radish into a bowl, Gakuho placed an onion on the cutting board.

"Isn't she always?" Gakushuu snarked.

"Don't talk that way about your stepmom. Unless you prefer the woman who ran off and abandoned you?"

"No comment." Gakushuu was tearing up from the chopped onion.

"Maybe she gave you a little sibling," Venom dripped from Gakuho's words. "Wouldn't that be lovely. Anyway, this kind of thing is only going to make Nagisa's grades drop even more. Take this as an example, boy."

"Oh? Can I go see my friends too, _father dearest_?" Gakushuu felt like pushing it today.

His father laughed, then patted his head condescendingly. "As if anyone is going to hang out with you willingly. And even if they did, you have midterms in a month. Better start preparing now."

* * *

Nagisa found himself carrying Kayano's bags. His newest friend was closely looking at macrons, obviously internally debating between blueberry or chocolate for her last in the box. Sugino was in the restroom.

Nagisa got the sudden feeling that something was off. He had this ability, and he wasn't quite sure what it was. He didn't know if it was a sixth sense or just him picking up on cues that no one else noticed, what whatever it was, he knew something bad was about to happen.

He walked forward. "Kayano, we have to go."

"Waa? But why?" Kayano payed the man behind the counter for her French almond cookies.

"We just need to grab Sugino and go. _Believe me_."

As if on cue, the baseball player walked toward them. "Guys, I just saw some of the dudes from A Class."

"Doing what?"

"I don't know… _Asano_ was one of them."

Nagisa nearly spat out the lemonade he was drinking. Crap! Even these guys didn't know that he and Gakushuu were family! And he was certain that the people from A Class didn't either. Now they _really_ had to leave.

"L-let's go to the park. It's nice and sunny." Nagisa picked up all five of Kayano's bags and headed to the front entrance, his friends deciding to go along with his intuitions.

"Hey, E Class dorks!"

That voice. Dammit, he heard that voice somewhere before.

Sugino was roughly patted on the back by Koyama, the ugly guy with the big jaw.

"What are you doing here, losers? You should be studying, can't afford for your grades to drop any lower." Seo flicked Nagisa's pigtail.

"Guys, let's back off. There's a _lady_ among them." Sakakibara rubbed Kayano's shoulders. She gripped her cookies extra tightly. "Such a waste that you're in E Class."

Nagisa saw orange hair in the corner of his eye. His stepbrother. Wait, wasn't he supposed to be at home studying? Did the principal decide to be generous and give him one minute of vacation?

Gakushuu was good at many things, but acting and hiding his emotions was not among them. It was clear he was struggling to come up with an excuse to stop this miserable sight. He awkwardly made eye contact with Nagisa, then looked away.

"Uh… Guys! I just remembered something!"

The virtuosos froze. It was apparent they hung on every word Gakushuu said.

"We have a quiz on Monday! Let's get to the library and study."

"Huh?" Araki scratched his head "We don't have a quiz-"

"Yes we do." The valedictorian cut him off. "Now let them go. Can't let your grades drop anymore, now can we Araki?"

The virtuosos admitted defeat and complied with their leader. Koyama cast them a dirty look and Sakakibara slipped a paper with his number on it in Kayano's pocket (she promptly threw it away), but they shuffled off and Nagisa and company gathered their belongings and went to the park.

* * *

The next day was Sunday. Nagisa and Gakushuu got up before their parents and ate breakfast together.

"Uh, thanks for yesterday." Nagisa reached for the butter. "So, I see the principal softened up and let you have a minute of play time?"

Gakushuu snorted. "Nope! I was sick of staring at that stupid diagram of the plot of _Titus Andronicus_ , so I snuck out. Called up the other virtuosos, we spent some time together."

"Would you say they're your best friends?" Nagisa titled his head.

"They're not really my _friends_. I mean I guess in the loosest sense of the term, but I don't really consider anyone a friend."

"That's so sad!" The bluenette blurted out.

Gakushuu did not respond. Meanwhile Nagisa awkwardly petted Gakushuu's cat, Sakura Mochi.

* * *

Nagisa and Gakushuu walked to school together the next day. This was a rarity. Gakushuu insisted he wanted to make sure they both got to school on time, but in reality it was because he wanted intel on whatever his brother was hiding. Could it be related to his father's weird behavior (well, weirder than usual)?

"Hey Nagisa?" Gakushuu asked, having patiently waited for Nagisa to finish his description of the book he was reading in Modern Japanese.

'Yes?" His step brother nodded.

"Do you know what happened to Yukimura-sensei?"

"Nope. We never got an explanation. Just 'personal reasons'." Nagisa answered with sincerity.

"Shame. I heard nothing but good things from the principal about her." Gakushuu brushed the pollen off of his blazer.

This was a surprise to Nagisa. The principal could be impressed by someone?

"Well, what about this new teacher? What's he like?" The redhead continued.

Nagisa didn't seem caught off guard by the question at all. Gakushuu had yet to figure this part out, but Nagisa in fact anticipated the question. "He's great. He really gives each of us the individual attention we need."

Gakushuu's mouth hung open in shock. But, though he didn't want to admit it, a part of him was happy that his brother was doing well in school. And another part of him was a little envious, again. He wished he got the teacher's one-on-one attention every once in a while.

* * *

One weekday afternoon, Hiromi was sitting at the kitchen table, legs crossed in frustration and rolling her eyes. It seemed she was on the verge of tears. Nagisa and Gakushuu knew better than to cross her, so they tried to go straight to their rooms.

But she couldn't be avoided forever. During dinner, she informed the boys of her and Gakuho's predicament.

"Boys," She sighed. "... My husband and I have something to tell you."

Both sons twitched. They knew this wasn't going to be good news.

"We've been trying for another child for a couple of months." She shifted to sit on her feet. "And it hasn't been happening. The doctor says we're both too old." she lifted her hand up to cover her face. "This is really harsh on me. I still can't have a daughter." The middle-aged woman tore the hand away from her face, then used it to knock a glass vase off of the table. "Why can't I get a happy ending!?" She broke into a sob and fell to the ground.

Nagisa and Gakushuu exchanged awkward glances, while Gakuho got to the ground to soothe his wife. "Shh, it's okay honey." He ran a hand through her hair, which was getting rather long recently. "We've got a perfect family already. We can wait for a granddaughter in the future."

The forty year-old woman stopped shaking for a moment. Nagisa, sensing that this was one of his mother's 'dark' moods, decided to try to appeal to her. So he joined the adults on the ground and tried to hug Hiromi. He was promptly slapped.

"You bastard," She sobbed. "Why couldn't you…. I don't know, be less disappointing?" She grabbed his left pigtail and yanked the hairtie out, freeing his long silky hair.

Even Gakuho seemed a bit shocked. He pulled his new wife away from her son. "Hiromi, I'll make you a drink and draw a warm bath for you."

Nagisa got on his knees and bowed. "I'm sorry Mom. I should have been more sympathetic."

The hairtie fell on the floor. Nagisa subtly picked it up.

To the shock of absolutely everyone in the house, even the cat, it was Gakushuu who intervened. Or rather, he tried to. "Um, ah- Have you considered IVF? Or using a surrogate?"

Hiromi didn't even acknowledge him. "Just go upstairs. Both of you. Especially you," She honed her gaze on her biological son. "I can't stand to look at you. You remind me of my failures."

The boys knew to comply.


	4. Chapter 4

**Err… sorry guys, for leaving this untouched for almost three months. First it was a pile of schoolwork/papers/exams that I was buried under, then once I got that out of the way I sort of prioritized Great Teacher Nagisa. I'm going to try to update this once a month now my main fic is done.**

 **Thank you all for tolerating my shoddy update schedule.**

 **Responses to reviews:**

 **Artista the Psycho Ink Mistress: Nagisa and Gakushuu are the Class of 2016 (Third years). Gakushuu was giving that speech to the incoming First year students, which would be the Class of 2018. Sorry if that wasn't clear.**

 **VideoCrazy: That's quite the observation, I didn't think of that. I supposed we could say that Koro-sensei intentionally did not take the nameplate off of the Asano/Shiota residence to keep that fact a secret. I think Koro-sensei would keep his students' secrets.**

* * *

After that disastrous dinner, the teenagers were in their room sulking. After about ten minutes, Nagisa, perched on his top bunk, cracked open a manga.

"Are you… Upset?" Gakushuu was leaning back against his nightstand, staring at the wall.

"About?"

"Your… Egg donor. Yeah, let's call her that."

"Upset? Sure I am," Nagisa closed the pages of volume 875021 of Detective Conan. That girl Fuwa sold it to him since she had 'plenty at home'. "But she's always been like this. I just learned to tread lightly and let this roll off my back."

"Yeah. Can't say I can relate." The evil redhead threw his head back and sighed. "My mom was totally normal. Then one day she became, 'I'm leaving you for my personal trainer because he's younger and less of an asshole'." Gakushuu shifted and sat cross-legged. "I don't blame her. You know the Principal. If I were in her position I wouldn't have even lasted that long."

With a yawn, Nagisa fell asleep sitting in that position, and was woken only by the sound of Gakushuu snoring.

* * *

The next day arrived. Every resident of the Asano house got up and went to school/work without acknowledging each other. Gakushuu hoped that this would be the beginning of a trend.

The mountain air was refreshing and sharp. The E Class 'losers' were practicing their stabbing techniques. Step to the left, step to the right, _stab_. After the umpteenth round, Karasuma starting lecturing them on something or another. Nagisa ended up somewhat tuning it out, as his mother's words began ringing in his ears again. _Why couldn't you be less disappointing!?_

Nagisa's pigtails drooped. _Why can't I make my mother happy? Come to think of it, why couldn't my father either? Why does she-_

Nagisa heard a rustle behind him. Footsteps planted themselves gently on the grass. The assailant walked as if he had a target, but he had no rush to get to it. Nagisa turned around, having a suspicion about who this was.

"Hiya. Long time no see, Nagisa-kun." Karma Akabane, token bad boy of Kunugigaoka Junior High Class of 2016, stood tall and proud, sipping on a juice box.

"Aw shit! Akabane's here!" Terasaka whisper-shouted, hiding behind Muramastu and Yoshida.

The class was amazed by what came next, as their Koro-sensei, who had never had a blow landed on him by any of them, was injured by this fourteen year old delinquent.

"I think they got your name wrong," Karma taunted Koro-sensei.

Nagisa cringed. He could speculate as to why his stepfather thought Karma would be an asset to their class. But he was too scared to ask the old man for confirmation.

Not too long after that, E Class was joined by another new arrival, though this one was more unfamiliar.

"You shitty brats!" Miss Irina Jelavich yelled from the other room. Things clanged and banged against the board. Nagisa was not in the classroom to witness it, he was currently in the bathroom washing his mouth out after 'Miss Hellabitch' kissed him for the third time this week.

 _Never a dull moment,_ Nagisa rolled his eyes and went back to join his class.

* * *

"I hear E Class got another new teacher." Gakushuu said between mouthfuls of curry and rice.

"They sure did." Gakuho laughed, wiping his cheek with a napkin. "An English teacher. She's a native speaker. I think that's what E Class needs."

"She's not a native speaker…" Nagisa picked up a potato with his spoon. 'Miss Hellabitch' was from Serbia.

Gakuho glared. Nagisa just gulped and resigned himself to a lifetime of obeying the principal.

"Yes. A native speaker. She's got an interesting personality…"

To Gakushuu's disappointment, his family ignoring each other was not the beginning of a trend, it was just a one-time incident. His step-mother was happy and cheerful these days; she had just gotten a promotion at work. So she greeted the boys with a huge smile and a hug every morning.

"Does this mean that she's planning our murder?" Gakushuu asked Nagisa once they left the house.

"No, she just sometimes has these good moods. Appreciate it while it lasts." Nagisa shrugged, swatting a mosquito.

* * *

Gakushuu's classes dragged. His grades began to drop for a second. He started avoiding his home, knowing his father easily had access to his grades. His regular 100's on Chemistry tests had dropped to 88's within the past three weeks. He asked what he considered to be an unbelievably stupid question in English ("Is the Canterbury Tales in middle English?"; his response was an awkward glance and a weary "… Yes" from his teacher). And as of today, he was no longer the first one called on whenever he raised his hand.

So it was now that Gakushuu hid away in a gaming arcade somewhere on the other side of the city. He didn't know or care where he was, so long as he was nowhere near anyone from school or home. He was sitting in a little nook between two machines, hoping that no one would find him. This place was so far away from the school; no way someone would be all the way out here on a Tuesday, right? But he was mistaken.

His stepbrother was walking by, looking for the friends he came with. Gakushuu curled up, praying he would go unnoticed.

"Gakushuu?" Dammit, he was noticed.

"Um," He looked around to assure that no one they knew was within eyesight. "Hi there."

Nagisa got up close to whisper. "Are you okay?"

Gakushuu wanted to keep up the shield, but it was too much anymore. He shook his head _no_.

"Why not?"

"A Class sucks."

"Sorry to hear." Nagisa suppressed the urge to inquire further. It really wasn't any of his business, right? "Wanna join me and Sugino? We're playing a game over there." He pointed towards the back of the arcade. Sugino was putting coins into the machine. Gakushuu crouched back down so he wasn't seen.

"Is that a no?"

Gakushuu forgot to respond when someone else caught his eye.

It seemed another E Class "loser" was here. Gakushuu didn't recognize her immediately, it took some studying and thinking to place a name to that face. She didn't usually look like that, after all.

Yukiko Kanzaki was expertly destroying Karma Akabane in a first-person shooting game. Gakushuu had to smile sadistically. After all those times Akabane stole first place from him (For example, in exam rankings or when the girls discussed who the hottest guy in the grade was), he finally got his comeuppance.

"Okay, did the entirety of E Class decide to come here today?" Another familiar voice erupted from behind Gakushuu. "Or is it just the five of us?"

Rio Nakamura ran her fingers through her long hair. Damn it, she was basically the female Karma, one of the troublemakers of Kunugigaoka. Time to cross his fingers and hope she didn't see him-

"Look who it is, **the** one and only Gakushuu Asano." The blonde remarked smugly. Akabane and Kanzaki turned to look at the valedictorian.

Crap.

Gakushuu flushed, getting up to make an exit. "I'm just here looking for a friend. I'm not here to waste time. Don't get the wrong idea."

"So you can't even play a match with me?" Akabane asked. Mocking was obvious in his voice.

"No!" Gakushuu left before they could see his tears. He was running towards nowhere in particular, just where he could get far away from people in general.

"Nagisa, why did you just talk to Asano out of the blue?" Sugino put his elbows up.

"… Reasons."

"And what did you ask him?"

"… Stuff."

Sugino rolled his eyes. "You are one brave soul, Nagisa. I sure would never talk to that guy just about 'stuff'."

 _Maybe I should pursue him…_ Nagisa made a hasty exit.

"I just remembered my mom wants me home now, I gotta go!"

"But Nagisa-"

"I'll text you later!" He waved at his friends and ran in the direction of his red-haired stepbrother.

"Doesn't Nagisa live in the opposite direction?" Karma yawned.

* * *

Nagisa was sure he looked like a stalker, but at this point he didn't care. He chased his stepbrother as far as he could. It seemed like Gakushuu had no intention to stop. Nagisa thought hard. _He must want to go somewhere quiet. Somewhere with no people. So not our house._ But the only thing that came to mind was the one place that was always quiet after four p.m...

But there was no way Gakushuu was headed there, right?

Gakushuu didn't even notice Nagisa's pursuit of him. He just let his feet guide him. There was one place he could think of that would offer him quiet. The place that represented his father's teaching methods. He ended up at the place he swore he'd never go to. E Class's mountain.

Gakushuu intended to climb the entire mountain, but a yell stopped him. "Gakushuu!"

The redhead turned around to see Nagisa, panting and a mess.

"Gakushuu, don't bother climbing that mountain. It's exhausting and there's nothing you want to see there." Nagisa went with a half-truth. He wanted to avoid Gakushuu finding out about Koro-sensei, or at least delay it as much as possible.

Thankfully, Gakushuu obeyed and sat down on a large rock. Nagisa joined him.

"… No one will find us here, right?" Gakushuu finally spoke after several attempts to spit out something intelligible, all to no avail.

"It's 5:30 now. All the students have left." Nagisa stated the obvious part. What he was worried about was the non-students still dwelling here at this time. Particularly the ones who weren't exactly human. "Sorry if what I asked upset you."

"It's not you, Nagisa. It really isn't. I'm mad at the whole damn school." Gakushuu blinked away the last of the tears, but he couldn't hide his sulking mood.

Dare Nagisa ask? "What happened with the school?"

The crickets humming was the only answer he got.

"And as for my friends, they don't mean harm. Well maybe Karma, but-"

"I know, Nagisa. It's not even them, it's just…" How much of this should he tell Nagisa? "I've had a rough few weeks. And everyone else seems to be doing so well, it's like a slap in the face."

"I'm here to talk if you need to, okay?" Nagisa tried to reassure him.

"Not tonight."

* * *

Gakushuu had news the next night at dinner.

"The class trip to Kyoto is next week."

Nagisa stood up as well. It was clear he was going to announce something, and that it was something that he wanted to put off mentioning.

"I'm going on the trip too. But I'll be going with the rest of E Class."

"Oh," Hiromi perked up a bit. "Have you packed yet?"

"No. I still have to pick out some casual clothes to wear." He finished off his green tea. Only after saying it, did it occur to the blue-haired boy that this was the wrong thing to say.

"It's such a shame," Hiromi sighed, poking her dinner with the chopstick. "You never willingly wear any of those lovely clothes I've bought you over the years."

Nagisa's breathing stopped, and it was obvious to all those around him. His pulse began to rise. He sweated in spite of the powerful AC in the house.

Gakushuu knew better than to ask. But Gakuho didn't.

"What nice clothes? On your days off of school, all I see you wear are those silly cargo pants."

It was now that Nagisa felt the shift. His mother's aura became darker and darker. "Nagi-chan, show your stepfather your nice dresses."

Nagisa's usual policy towards her episodes was to simply do whatever he could to appease her. But not now. It was one thing to be forced to crossdress when it was only in front of her. But in front of his step-family? Who held a lot of power over him at school?

"But Mom, I-"

"No buts!" She shot up, slamming her hands on the kitchen table and knocking over several empty dishes. "Go show your stepfather those lovely little dresses, Nagi-chan."

Nagisa gulped. He knew things would get violent if he resisted any further. So he obeyed.

"Y-yes, Mommy." Nagisa dutifully went up to his room.

Hiromi ate a carrot. "Ungrateful children…"

Nagisa stood in the attic, where his mother stored the dresses. What could he wear that was least humiliating? He shuffled through the box. The pink frilly gown with the lace on the trim, no. The yellow chiffon, maybe. He settled on a green taffeta dress. He might still be recognized as a boy in that.

Nagisa had to psyche himself up before descending the stairs. His new 'father' and his brother would see the way his mother treats him when they were alone. But the alternative was even more abuse. There was no winning move here. Exhaling through his nose, he climbed down the stairs.

Hiromi lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw her son. "See?" She descended on him like a vulture and took the hair ties out of his hair. "A girl this age looks best with long hair. Isn't she just beautiful, Gakuho?"

For once, the principal seemed at a loss for words. He exchanged glances with his son, whose mouth hung open and who stared without blinking.

"Breathtaking, I know." She giggled. She caressed her son's head, seemingly in her own little world. Nagisa meanwhile, was putting up walls and pretending that this wasn't happening.

Gakushuu stood up. He tried to speak. He really did. But he could not find the words to say to this woman.

'I… You… Him…"

Gakuho finally decided to pick a side. "Gakushuu, don't talk back to your step mom like that."

"But seriously, what the-"

"Shuu-chan!" He used his childhood nickname for his son, one he hadn't called him by since Ikeda died. "We don't want to ruin a lovely family dinner, now do we?"

Sometimes an action is worth a thousand words, Gakushuu thought. He left out the front door, sure to slam it on the way out.

* * *

 **Please review, and sorry again for the delay. The next chapter will focus on Papa Asano.**


	5. Chapter 5

**The website's being buggy as hell, so let's hope this chapter posts.**

 **PSA: The views expressed by Gakuho in this chapter do not reflect my own.**

* * *

And so concluded another disastrous dinner at the Asano residence.

By the time Gakushuu returned home, it was already past midnight. The door was left unlocked for him. That was strange; he did have a key after all. Dammit. He hoped this didn't mean he was in for a beating by his father, or even worse a stern talking to. He'd rather look like a fool in front of his 'friends' than get one of those.

 _But it's close_ , the redhead thought as he pushed in the door ever so gently. _Very, very close. Like a centipede's leg_.

Gakushuu thanked his lucky stars that his father was not in the living room adjacent to the door. He waited a minute before moving, until he could hear his father's snoring upstairs. He breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe, at least for now. Careful to lock the door, Gakushuu tiptoed up the stars.

When Gakushuu approached the room he shared with his step-brother, he was overwhelmed by a sense of danger. Gakushuu couldn't think of the word for it, he was that paranoid, but the word on the tip of his tongue was bloodlust. It wasn't even like the fear he felt towards his father, this was a pure, visceral terror that people say they feel before a big disaster occurs. Like a tsunami or an earthquake. But it was localized in that room.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. _Don't be ridiculous, Gakushuu. You're just on edge after this evening. Plus you've still got homework to do before Monday, that's probably on the back of your mind…_ But in spite of his internal pep talk, it still took all his courage to open the door.

And when he walked in, it hit him like lightning. Gakushuu lost his footing and tumbled over, landing face first on the floor in front of his dresser.

"Gakushuu? Are you okay?" Nagisa came down from his top bunk. He had come straight to the room after dinner, quite happy to avoid his parents.

Gakushuu caught his breath. "I… Yeah… I'm fine, I guess. I just could have sworn there was something in this room that could kill me." He felt the blood rush through his body.

The blue-haired boy looked puzzled. "Nope, just me thinking about an assignment in one of my classes." On top of Nagisa's pillow, a notebook was indeed visible.

"Oh, okay." Gakushuu quickly shut the door, thankful once again that his father did not stop snoring throughout that entire episode. Returning to his bed, he scolded himself over such silly paranoia that there was something to fear in this room of all places. He removed his socks. Then he suddenly remembered why he walked out a few hours ago. "Eh, sorry dude. About earlier, I mean." He still couldn't find the words to express his reaction of pure _what-the-hell_ to what his stepmother did at the dinner table tonight.

Gakushuu could hear Nagisa breathing. His brother took a few moments to come up with a response to that, which was a bit uncharacteristic of him. "Well, don't be. It's not your fault. It's mine for bringing up the topic of clothes."

Gakushuu's heart ached. He knew that feeling. Honestly, he felt the same whenever his father mistreated him for not scoring 100's on all of his tests. "She still shouldn't do that."

"There's nothing anyone can do to stop her. Believe me, I've tried _everything_." Nagisa climbed back up and planted himself in his usual sleeping position (lying on his left side, facing the wall.) But he continued to talk to his brother. "Maybe my Dad will come visit soon, and I'll get a break from her. That's all I can hope for."

"Yeah, I have no clue how you put up with her for years. She's just lucky she's _your_ mother, I guess." Deciding to put off the homework until Sunday, the sometimes-valedictorian of Kunugigaoka Junior High planted his head down on his pillow.

"Meaning?" Nagisa placed his notepad of Koro-sensei's weaknesses under his pillow, just so no prying parents would find it.

"You're the most damn docile kid in all of Kunugigaoka, you couldn't hurt a fly if it threatened you with a switchblade. Imagine if she were _Akabane's_ mom."

While Nagisa knew that Gakushuu was correct, he didn't want to picture either his friend or his mother in that awful scenario. So he rolled over and fell asleep, thinking of how he was going to try to kill Koro-sensei the next week.

The next week, by the way, was a hodgepodge of avoiding their parents, getting homework done early, and packing for the trip. It was gone in a flash, and the Asano couple forgot rather quickly about the dress incident. Things returned to normal, or at least what passed for normal in this house.

* * *

One effect of Nagisa and Gakushuu living together for a few months was that their morning routines had somewhat become synchronized. Gakushuu's alarm would wake them up at 6:30 (It cycled through songs Gakushuu was embarrassed to admit he knew every lyric to; today was the original Pokémon theme song). Gakushuu would hit his head on the top bunk and squeak out an 'ouch!', both boys would brush their teeth in front of the bathroom sink. Then Gakushuu would start the toaster and feed the cat while Nagisa brushed his hair and pulled up his pigtails. By the time Nagisa left the bathroom, the toast would be done, so he'd put butter and jam on it, and breakfast would commence. This was usually followed with some casual conversation, as their parents had already left by this time.

But this morning, Gakushuu and Nagisa woke up at exactly the same time, and forty minutes before the alarm. They were both reviewing the contents of their respective luggage when they found themselves singing along to "I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was..." Not even caring about eating breakfast, the boys left. But they didn't walk in the direction of the school, instead they took a hard left in front of the town hall and parted ways at the train station, as Gakushuu was taking the express bus and Nagisa was taking the cheap one without air conditioning or a bathroom.

It was the first day of the class trip.

Nagisa practically skipped the rest of the way to his class's designated meeting spot. He had only ever been to Kyoto once, at age seven. He remembered sitting on his father's shoulders, pointing to the top of Mount Inari, stuffing a yatsuhashi into his mouth. The cherry blossoms got caught in his hair, while his mother smiled and took pictures of the Imperial Palace. A couple of years later, he had asked his mother if they could go back, but it was met with a smack and a tirade about how dare he ask that when she was working overtime to send him to private school.

A shudder came upon Nagisa when he thought of that memory. Pushing it away, he waved to his friends and rushed to greet them. His anti-sensei notes were carefully hidden in his luggage.

Gakushuu, too, hadn't been this happy in weeks. He could finally forget about classwork and grades and tests and quizzes for a few days. Truthfully, he'd always rather hated Kyoto (Why couldn't they go to Okinawa instead? His mother had always promised to bring him there someday but never delivered), but at least he wouldn't have to deal with his parents for a few days. And at least there were no tests to get 88's on (at that point, you might as well fail, he thought).

Indeed, only one thing could possibly ruin Gakushuu's mood. And of course, it happened. His phone let off a telltale _ding_ on the bus, indicative of a new text message.

 **Hi Shuu-chan! I miss you sweetie. If you're free this upcoming weekend, how about I come up there and visit you?**

From none other than Riko Kanazawa, formerly Riko Asano, AKA his mother.

Gakushuu clutched his temples. He didn't want to deal with this, but it was better now that he was away from his father for a few days. With a bit of a sadistic smirk (here's what the old man gets on his vacation), he screenshotted the text and sent the picture to his father, with the caption "Make of this what you will".

He left his phone on silent for the rest of the trip, ignoring any messages that may have followed. He then turned towards Araki.

"Hey, wanna hear a joke?"

* * *

Gakuho Asano stretched out in bed. Now that the students were on their trips, the first years to Mount Fuji, the second years to Hakone, and the third years to Kyoto, he was on a much appreciated vacation for the next three days. His wife had already gotten up and gone to work, and the boys were well on their way to Kansai. He valued his alone time, just not for too long, or those nasty thoughts about Ikeda would come back-

 _No. Don't think about that._ He recalled a line from Shakespeare's Macbeth. _Out, damned spot! Out, I say!  
_

He reached for his phone, intending to scroll through the news. He did, he found it boring. The world still won't shut up about the damn moon. He was over it. Why no good news…

It was then that he received the message from his son. Oh no. Why did he have to deal with her on his day off? He would have blocked her number if he didn't have to receive child support from her (which she didn't pay half of the time anyway).

This was one of the very few times in the life of Gakuho Asano where he truly felt he was at an impasse. If he responded to his ex-wife, he would have to face the woman who abandoned him and their son for someone younger, more attractive, and admittedly less of an ass. But if he let it go, his son would try handle it on his own, and this was way above the boy's paygrade.

But it was better to get it out of the way now. So he dialed up the woman saved as "NO" in his contacts, and waited while the phone rang. Breathe in. Breathe out.

He began to sweat. He prayed to whatever kami might be listening that he wouldn't have a panic attack. He had had one of those once, when he discovered Ikeda's suicide, it was a very unpleasant experience. He was taken to the hospital by a bystander, and he had to explain the situation to the nurse on duty.

When he ran out of kami to pray to, he prayed to all his ancestors, to the Buddha, to the Hindu deities, and finally to the Abrahamic God. Gakuho didn't really believe in any of them, but might as well try.

"Oh, hey. It's you." His ex-wife's voice came over the phone. Disappointment was obvious in her tone, she was hoping her son would call.

" _Our son_ is on a class trip to Kyoto." Gakuho kept his own voice steady. Why did talking to his ex do this to him? "He's too busy to talk to you right now."

"Ah, so he got Daddy to do it for him. How is he too busy to talk to his _mother_? What's so important in Kyoto that he's ignoring the woman who-"

"Ran off to the white sand beaches, didn't even fight for visitation rights, and has made no effort to see him in four years?" The educator was beginning to lose his composure. "Let me think, everything in Kyoto is better than talking to you. Hell, I might go there right now."

"Don't be like that. You know why I left." Gakuho knew that voice. That was her I'm-putting-on-nail-polish-so-don't-bother-me voice.

"… Well, regardless. You have some nerve."

Gakuho clearly heard the _clack_ of her high heels against the floor of the luxurious home she lived in with her new husband (that they definitely couldn't afford). He had seen the pictures on various social media. He had fantasies of buying a new home just to one-up her, but quickly filed that thought away too.

She let loose that distinctive sigh. The one that indicated she was done beating around the bush. "When will you finally tolerate my presence enough to let me see my boy?"

"Here's an idea: why doesn't he fly down and visit you? You always promised to bring him to Okinawa, but when you finally got the chance to go you went without him." Gakuho curled fingernails into his palms, to numb the pain of talking to Riko.

"Oh… See, my hubby probably wouldn't want that."

"Choosing your boytoy over your own damn kid? I'm not shocked."

"It might upset the way things are between me and him now. You know, with the new baby on the way." There was her twirling-my-hair-out-of-boredom voice.

"You're a bit old for a baby. When are you due?"

"October. I do want Shuu-chan to meet her, but I just think introducing him to my husband right now would upset what we've got going here."

"I forgot how everything was always about you," He released the tension in his hand. "And I don't miss it at all. Gakushuu and I will get on the phone and discuss this with you, when he gets home from the trip. Got that?"

Radio silence. He looked at the phone, to see that she had hung up. All the frustration and anxiety ebbed away over the course of what felt like minutes. It was actually hours.

Putting the phone down, Gakuho exhaled in one long breath. He didn't have a panic attack. Good. That was a little victory. He would celebrate it by drinking with his wife tonight.

He heard the car door slam shut outside. Good, Hiromi was home. She was so unlike Riko. She fought to see her kid. She was as involved in his life as she possibly could be. She was a much better mother and woman than Riko ever was. Where did her ex-husband even go, and why? He had to know.

"Hiromi!" He greeted her with a hug.

"Hi honey," She gave him a kiss and put down her bag. Her shoes were neatly stacked in the shoe rack. Riko always just flung them wherever.

He decided to warm her up with small talk. "How was work?"

"It was okay. Nagisa texted me a picture of the view from his hotel room." She sighed. "So we're all alone for a few days."

"We sure are." Gakuho went to mix her a drink. "Do you want to take a trip somewhere?"

"I wish I could take the time off of work." She sat on the couch, careful not to take up too much space (unlike Riko, who would just sprawl out). It was at that moment that Gakuho's wishes were granted.

"Fuck!" She barked and practically threw her phone across the room.

"Hiromi, what's wrong?"

"My useless ex-husband," Bitterness dripped from her voice. "My child support payments were supposed to come through today. Guess what I got instead?"

"What?" He handed her her drink, she took it and exchanged her phone. It was indeed a message from her ex, who was also saved as "NO" in her contacts.

 **Uh, hi Hiromi. Sorry but I can't make those payments this month. I swear I'll pay you twice the amount I owe next month. By the way, can I visit Nagisa next weekend? There's a new movie coming out that I'm sure he'll love.**

Hiromi looked away, pouting, and tapping her foot angrily. Gakuho found the action cute.

"Well… That's the same weekend _my_ ex wants to see Gakushuu." Gakuho patted her back, as if soothing a child. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Hiromi had been married to this man long enough to know what he was hinting at. "Are you thinking…"

"Send the kids away and take a trip to Hokkaido!?" Both adults blurted out in unison, reveling in childlike wonder.


	6. Chapter 6

**So I'm back with whooping cough (I think?) I caught in Tokyo. Strange that the only time I catch it is in the cleanest city I've ever been in, not from my 20 years of living in a suburb of NYC… Anyway, please review.  
**

* * *

The school trip went off without a hitch. That is what Gakushuu would say, at least. Nagisa would say it started off with as few hitches as it could when your mission is to assassinate a superhuman octopus who moves at Mach 20. Then it devolved into chaos when his friends were kidnapped by delinquents from another school, and he had to use his teacher's book (that weighed a ton) as a literal weapon, and Koro-sensei came to the rescue yet again. It was moments like this that made it hard to even want to kill their teacher.

"Boys," Hiromi announced when they arrived home from their trip. They knew that tone. They dropped their bags immediately. "Your father and I want to talk to you in the kitchen."

"Crap," Nagisa whispered under his breath. He dutifully followed his mother's voice into the kitchen. Gakushuu took an example from him.

Hiromi was sitting on the barstool, legs crossed and most deceptive smile she could muster (the boys saw right through that). Gakuho stood a few steps away, pouring out two glasses of wine.

"So how do you like this arrangement?"

The hair on the back of Nagisa's neck stood on end. Not asking about their trip? Didn't want to see any pictures?

"What do you mean?" Nagisa played dumb.

"Are you happy here?" Gakuho clarified.

Nagisa and his brother broke out into a cold sweat. That had a very complicated and multi-part answer. But they both knew that anything but a positive response would provoke a not-so-pleasant rebuttal from the adults.

"Yes." Nagisa muttered, looking at his shoes.

"Yes." Gakushuu echoed.

"I don't believe either of you." The new Mrs. Asano rolled her eyes. "But anyway, I no longer see it fit to beat around the bush." Hiromi stood up. "Your… non-custodial parents are coming for a visit."

Sweatdrop. "What?"

"Your bio dad is coming to take you next weekend." She rolled her eyes.

A smile burst onto Nagisa's face. "Really? Finally!"

If it were any other day, Hiromi would have taken her son's excitement at 'finally' being able to see his biological father as a condemnation of her parenting, but today was an exceptionally good day for Hiromi Asano. She got a break from the kids _and_ was going on the first vacation she had in years! Parenting was such a tough job, where the hours were 24/7 and the pay was zero yen an hour. She deserved this.

"Yes, he'll pick you up at 3 on Saturday, so come straight come from school." She pinched her son's cheek. "Mommy has plans for the weekend."

Gakushuu gulped. What did this mean for him?

"Son, your mom is flying up to visit for that weekend too." Gakuho delivered the sentence with a smile.

The redhead twitched. "Why?"

"I don't know, ask her." He roughly patted his son on the back. "She said she wants to see Tokyo Tower with you again."

"What if _I_ don't want to see her?"

"Tough shit, she's your mom." Dammit, what was with the sudden whiplash in this attitude towards Gakushuu's mom? He normally wouldn't be okay with this arrangement.

Nagisa cringed at his step-brother's predicament. His pigtails drooped, which did not escape his mother's notice.

"The two of us won't be available after Saturday afternoon, so don't get into any trouble."

"Why? Where are you going?" Gakushuu snapped.

"A place." Hiromi simply said.

* * *

The next week passed slowly. On Monday Nagisa began a big group project, and he focused his energy on that, while Gakushuu continued his usual routine of studying for six hours a day. On Wednesday night Gakushuu burst into their room, excitement obvious in his features.

"Nagi," He panted. "I know where the folks are going."

"Huh?" Nagisa raised his blue gaze from the diagram of the Inner Solar System that he was drawing.

"They're going to a spa in Hokkaido." The honor student thrust his phone into Nagisa's hands.

Nagisa, truthfully, really didn't want to know where his parents were going, but he might as well look at the evidence that Gakushuu was so eager to share.

It was a photo of what could only be assumed based on context was the Principal's computer. His email was open.

 **To: Gakuho Asano**

 **From: Hokkaido Magical Resort and Spa**

 **Subject: Order Confirmation**

 **Hello Asano-san,**

 **This is your receipt for your reservation at Hokkaido Magical Resort and Spa in Hakodate, Hokkaido.**

 **Date of stay: June 6th-7th**

 **Number of Guests: 2**

 **Price: 40,000 yen**

 **Contact number: XX-YYYY-AAA**

 **Confirmation Number: 1234567**

 **You will pay at the location. In the event of a cancellation, please email this address. Thank you, and we look forward to having you.  
**

"Eh, okay. Not much we can do about it." Nagisa shook the dust off of the diagram. "Do you make a habit of this?"

"What specifically?" Gakushuu took his house shoes off.

"Snooping through your Dad's email?"

"I used to, he figured it out and changed all his passwords to something impossible." Gakushuu leaned back in his bed. "He got a passcode on his phone too. I tried so many combinations of four digit numbers that I've lost track of what I have and haven't tried."

"But you got into his email this time?" Nagisa sat back down on the floor.

"Yeah, he left it open, for once. He was distracted by a phone call. Turned out to just be a scam anyway."

"Uh, okay… So what do you plan on doing with this?" He pulled colored pencils out of his bag. "Because I can't imagine-"

"Right now? Nothing at all. But mark my words, it will come in use soon enough."

"If you say so, Gakushuu." The assassin turned his attention back to the project.

* * *

The day of reckoning had come. Saturday, June 6th, the Year of our Lord 2015. The two step-brothers stood at the front door of the Asano residence, waiting with baited breath. Their custodial parents stood in the kitchen, watching the door like a pair of hawks.

"Your _mother_ just texted that she's here, boy." Gakuho snarled.

"Help me." Gakushuu squeaked as he heard a telltale knock at the door.

"Would if I could." Nagisa replied.

A tall woman with orange hair walked in the door. Well, walked would not be the appropriate verb. It was more like she **barged** in the door. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun. She moved with authority, much like the Principal and much like her son. She loudly cracked her chewing gum. Nagisa could tell her sunglasses must have hid piercing eyes. Her belly protruded, was she pregnant?

"Shuu-chan." She stood with her hands on her hips, adjusting the Prada bag on her shoulder.

Gakushuu pouted.

"I have reservations for us at 4:30, let's get going."

Gakushuu signed. He had now resigned himself to having to spend the weekend with her. "Y-yes, Mom." They turned towards the door. Hiromi made the mistake of making eye contact with Riko.

"Oh please. I don't want him. You can have him." She slammed the door behind them.

Nagisa brought his hand to his mouth. _Was she referring to the Principal? … Or Gakushuu?_

Hiromi went to the kitchen immediately and poured herself a glass of whiskey. She downed it in one gulp. "Bitch."

Nagisa suddenly became very interested in his phone. Then he received it. A text from his father.

 **I'm at the front door.**

Nagisa's face lit up and he bolted towards the door. He practically jumped into his father's arms. "Dad!"

Nagisa's father chuckled and hugged his son. He looked towards the door and found his ex-wife. "I'll have him back by seven tomorrow."

"Okay." She went inside the house. There was no malice or bitterness in her words this time. Just ambivalence towards her ex. Nagisa accepted it.

"I got a glare from that woman who walked by." Nagisa's dad shrugged as he started the car.

"Oh, that's my step-father's ex. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not. So, there's this movie that just came out. _Superman of the Supermarket_. Wanna see it?"

"You bet!"

And with that, there was no more sign of the kids.

Gakuho clapped his hands together. "Let's get going, the shinkansen leaves in an hour."

* * *

To say Gakushuu was miserable this weekend so far was an understatement.

It was a never ending conga line of misery. He wasn't sure what he expected, as he had mixed feelings about his mother (indeed, it was rare for Gakushuu Asano to have feelings that were anything but mixed about anyone his life). But this was awful.

This entire dinner at a fancy restaurant, she had been doing nothing but showing him picture evidence of the apparently wonderful life she was leading without him. Pictures of the white sand beaches, dotted with palm trees. Pictures of the ultrasound of his new half-sister (Gakushuu was now extra grateful that his father and step-mother's attempts to have another child were failing, he didn't want to deal with _that_ at home). Her home, selfies with her new husband. Gakushuu only met him once, when he 'gave her a ride home from their training session'. He didn't even want to know what had actually happened then. That was three months before she had left. Oh, and they had a horse too.

"And here's the local resort, we went there for Christmas. And here's the bar my husband has a part-time job at. And here's-"

Gakushuu snuck a sip of her wine while she was too busy running her mouth to notice.

"Oh, you need to meet the baby, Shuu-chan. I'm due October 20th, it'll be wonderful."

Within four hours of spending time with his mother, Gakushuu started frantically texting Nagisa.

 **Nagisa? Are you there? I need to tell you about what just happened.**

Nagisa was sitting in a sushi restaurant with his father and saw the message immediately, as his father was distracted by an email from his work. He had just finished showing his dad the pictures from the Kyoto trip.

 **Yeah, what is it?**

Gakushuu tried the breathing exercises Koyama had taught him (he had learned them from a therapist, something Gakushuu wished he had). _Inhale_ , one, two, three. _Exhale_ , four, five, six. He was in the last stall of the bathroom, trying to hide from his mother and collect his thoughts.

 **She won't stop showing me pictures of her damn new life in Okinawa. You know how beautiful Okinawa is? She's got everything, and we're stuck in Kunugigaoka. And she won't stop rubbing it in.**

Nagisa felt a tug of sympathy. He was having a great time with his father.

 **How much longer do you have to spend with her?**

Gakushuu didn't even know what he wanted at this point. He wanted to be free of his mother, but both of the folks went off to Hokkaido, so that wasn't happening. Just talking to someone who wasn't totally insane would have to be enough for now.

 **'Til seven tomorrow.**

Nagisa's dad patted him on the back. "Who are you talking to there?"

"A friend." Nagisa didn't want to give too much away. He didn't want his dad to pry, if he found out too much the old man to mouth off to Hiromi and Nagisa would have to sit through another screaming match. Shudder. He didn't even want to _think_ about that. Especially in the coldness of that dining room, in the principal's big luxurious house, he couldn't stand hearing that again.

"Okay son." Nagisa's dad ruffled his blue hair. Then he went back to his own phone.

 **Can you, like… Get away from her? Is there anything you can do to distract her?**

Gakushuu heard footsteps outside of the stall. He had to get out, or people would start pounding on the door. So he answered his brother, washed his hands, and faced his demise.

 **No, she's taking me to Tokyo Tower next. Ugh. I should be going there with someone with whom I actually enjoy spending time.**

"Ugh, Nagi?" Mr. Shiota tapped his son's shoulder.

Nagisa knew, based on his tone, that he wasn't going to like what followed.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to cut our visit short."

Nagisa's pigtails drooped again. "Huh?"

"I just got called into work. It's urgent, they need a guy to help figure out this contract. You can find someone to stay with 'til tomorrow, right?"

"Y-yeah."

He handed the bluenette a fat envelope. "Here's the child support I missed. I didn't trust that woman to handle it, so here." Nagisa's dad then payed the bill and left.

Nagisa fought back tears. He had now reached a point where he didn't know what to do about his family. So he texted his step-brother, who seemed to be the only sane person in this whole scenario.

 **Are you still looking for an escape from your mother? Because I might take you up on that offer.**

* * *

"Why do our parents suck?" Gakushuu punched a telephone pole that they walked by, afterwards cringing and rubbing his knuckles.

"I don't understand it either." Nagisa winced at the attempted display of dominance, or maybe he was just blowing off steam. Gakushuu Asano was a difficult one to figure out. "We seem to be their lowest priority."

"Yeah, I snuck out while we were in the theatre seeing that Haruna Mase movie." The redhead observed his phone again, showing the empty inbox to Nagisa. "If Mommy Dearest has noticed, she hasn't bothered to contact me."

"I thought Haruna-sama was still on hiatus?"

"She is, this was a re-release." Gakushuu's fingers were now bleeding. _Guess I'm not that smart after all, to do something like that._

"Why did they even want to see us if they treat us like this?" Nagisa mused.

"No idea. Now what they hell do we do?" Gakushuu looked through his pockets for bandages he always carried in case of events like these.

"We could just go home." Nagisa shrugged.

"We could." An idea hit Gakushuu. He fished two slips of paper out of his pocket. "But it would be a shame to let these tickets to Tokyo Tower go to waste."

And that was how they ended up at Tokyo Tower on a crowded Friday. Gakushuu shook his umbrella dry (of course, they were hit with a big rainstorm in the last fifteen minutes) while Nagisa's attention was caught by some familiar looking black hair.

"Hey Nagisa!" The black-haired boy waved at Nagisa. Gakushuu thought he recognized the boy from sports festivals.

"Sugino?" Nagisa made a beeline for his apparent friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Y'know, I was bored, it was getting late, I left the house to get my little bro to stop bothering me." He laughed, doing the standard anime elbows up pose. "Didn't think I'd run into you here. Weren't you spending the weekend with your dad?"

Every word was like a razor to Gakushuu's wounded heart. He couldn't remember the last time he had a casual conversation like this, with this type of person.

"Yeah, that didn't happen." Nervous laughter.

"Wait, is that who I think it is…?" Sugino gestured at the class valedictorian himself.

"It is." Nagisa breathed.

The three of them stood awkwardly there for a minute.

Sugino coughed. "Well, do you want to go inside together?"

"Well, yes." But Nagisa didn't budge. He focused his gaze on his step-brother (though Sugino was not aware of that part).

After everything Gakushuu went through today, he figured it best to swallow his pride. "Can... Can I come with you?"

Sugino looked nervous, and refused to maintain eye contact with Gakushuu. Nagisa held out his hand.

"Sure."


End file.
